Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Nevada Northern Engine House Tour

On Mother's Day we headed to Ely, Nevada to ride the Nevada Northern train. Moms ride free that day, so we figured it would be a great opportunity to get our little train aficionado a treat and do some relaxing and enjoy the scenery. We started at the East Ely Depot.

They have a scenic old cart near the loading area.

Desert Boy thought he was so cool with his conductor shirt on. Then came his friend Ava, who was totally outfitted as a conductor. We all got a kick out of watching them compare their outfits.

Then it was time for the real conductor to collect the tickets.

It was a windy, chilly day, typical Ely weather. We braved the weather part of the time to go to the outside car.

Lots of people chose to enjoy the views from the warmer coaches.

At the end of the ride, they offered a tour of the engine house. We had never done that before, so we got off and waved by to Ava and her dad.

Then it was time for our tour guide, an extremely knowledgeable gentleman (whose name I didn't catch), to start the tour.

Safety is obviously a big component of what they do, there are safety signs everywhere.

The shop is huge, filled with all sorts of machines, tools, and other stuff.

Here's a giant lathe. Many of the machines are really large because the train parts they're used to make or repair are also very large.

Then the doors on the side open, and the diesel engine that had been pulling our train entered the engine house.

The Nevada Northern Railroad has a huge number of volunteers who help keep the trains running. It's quite an impressive effort.

Our tour group dwindled as others had to leave to do other things, so we ended up getting the tour guide all to ourselves. We went into the next room and found it full or trains.

The Nevada Northern has two working diesel engines and two working steam locomotives. They also have one of each that they have plans to repair. And they have many more housed there, probably because they have room and future plans.

I should have taken notes on the tour, because I'm afraid I don't re,member all the details. I guess I will have to take the tour again!As we were leaving, we saw steam locomotive 93 heading into the engine house. It gets a bit of rest before it goes out on its next trip.

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About Me

Hi! I'm Gretchen, an ecologist, rancher's wife, mother, writer, and dreamer. I've lived and worked in three of the four North American deserts and visited the fourth. This blog is about what it's like to live in the rural high desert on a ranch, spending lots of time outdoors with kids, and our journey to live more sustainably. To learn more about the area, click here. If you'd like to contact me, leave a comment (I love comments!) or email me at desertsurvivor @ live.com.